The present invention relates generally to a low-cost wireless automated utility meter reading system for real-time utility monitoring, energy usage assessment, and appliance control. In particular, the present invention provides a platform for retrofit onto extant gas, electric and water meters providing accurate, self-powered, automated measurement of usage data.
A single-family residential structure will typically have one gas and one electric meter, and may also have a water meter. Multi-unit structures have numerous gas, water and electric meters, and may also have one or more steam meters. Such meters are provided by the utility serving the structure and typically have a multi decade lifespan. Such conventional meters provide a cumulative measurement of the amount of gas, water, steam or electricity that passes through the respective meter. Based on the cumulative measurement, the responsible utility renders a bill to the customer. However, the responsible utility will typically manually read the meter once every few months, and at times will only read a meter once per year, if the customer reports verifiable meter reading at intervals therebetween.
To overcome the need to manually read the meter, U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,659 to Kelley et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, proposes an automated meter reading system. However, conventional systems such as Kelley et al. do not allow the customer to utilize such automatically collected data to confirm meter accuracy. Conventional systems also fail to provide data usable by the customer to verify efficiency of the individual appliances supplied by the meter.
To assure efficient energy usage, integration of several elements is important. A first element is to accurately measure energy that is provided, e.g. an amount of natural gas. A second element is to monitor the energy consumed by the appliances that are supplied by the meter, e.g. the boiler or furnace, hot water heater, oven and stove, and/or dryer that are connected to the gas meter. A third element is to have an ability to provide feedback to optimize energy usage.
Various solutions have been proposed in regard to the first element, such as the automated meter reading system proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,304,587 to Boaz, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Boaz suggests a mesh communications network adapted to vary a frequency mode between a fixed frequency mode and a frequency hopping spread spectrum mode to enhance performance of collection of data from an automated meter reading network system. However, Boaz, like other conventional systems, uses proprietary hardware and dedicated networks, which are expensive, raise serious security concerns, and raise compatibility concerns, particularly if a manufacturer goes out of business.
Meter replacement needed to implement such conventional systems such as Boaz is time-consuming and expensive; particularly when a replacement meter includes electronic devices to support advanced metering infrastructure technology. Replacement can also create safety concerns. Replacing a meter requires scheduling a service shut off, removing a meter having potentially corroded fittings, connecting a new meter, leak testing and verifying proper meter installation.
In regard to the second element, conventional systems do not facilitate monitoring of the energy consumed by each specific appliance that is supplied by the meter. Rather, conventional systems aggregate appliance energy usage, effectively rendering meter data inapplicable to individual appliances.
In addition, conventional meter reading schemes do not provide real-time data needed by the customer to confirm that the meter is operating with sufficient accuracy or to utilize the meter data to confirm proper operating efficiency of the customer's own appliances. Monthly or longer reading intervals are too long to be able to provide useful feedback to the consumer to verify energy-saving habits.
Nor do conventional systems allow the user to control energy usage based on real-time measurement of energy provided to the meter compared to energy usage cycles of the appliances supplied by the meter, i.e. by comparing the first and second elements above.